The first day went off with a slight hitch… I had originally planned to wear something different, but it ended up being too cold outside. I’ve been housesitting all week, so while I can get back to my stuff in the afternoon… in the AM, I’m kind of stuck with what I brought. So I ransacked my pile of clothes and ended up with a pretty good pile of Me-Mades that all sort of went together. You can’t see the tank and undies (and I swear, one of these days, I’ll blog about them), but they’re there 🙂

This is what I had planned to wear Thursday 🙂 I LOVE wearing this maxi! It’s so swishy and fun and I feel so elegant. Gonna be hard not wearing this every day, ha!

So that’s it for week 1! Like I said, pretty short 🙂 We’ll get it really cranking next week, I imagine.

Just so this post isn’t all super short, let’s talk about my tshirt I’m wearing today! This is the Nettie pattern. If you hadn’t heard of it yet, that’s cos it was just recently released so it’s brand spankin’ new!

Nettie is actually designed to be a bodysuit… you know, one piece, snaps at the crotch, that sort of thing. I was asked to be a pattern tester, and I agreed under the premise that I could make mine into tshirts. Bodysuits and I just don’t get along (although, after reading what Heather wrote… I’m wondering if I might like them in winter, for that no-cold-creeping-on-my-midriff factor. Hm.), plus, it’s always nice to see if the pattern has additional options, yeah? So here are a couple of the Netties I made – I actually made 4, but I won’t bore you with all of them (I’m sure they’ll pop up at some point this month).

I love pretty much everything about this pattern. I love that it comes with multiple options – high neck, scoop neck, high back, scoop back, REAL LOW scoop back, short sleeves, long sleeve, elbow-length sleeves.. not to mention, bodysuit/tshirt/dress. Whew! I also love how fitted it is. No positive ease here!

You do have to be mindful of the fabric you’re using, because of the negative ease factor. This mint Nettie is made using a rayon knit (it’s the same stuff I used to make my MCall’s 4488, I’ve been hoarding the remainder in my stash for quite a while now!), and while it’s nice and stretchy, it’s also very lightweight. Meaning you can pretty much see every bump underneath. That’s fine with me, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re not keen on people seeing all your bra hardware.

Here’s another Nettie I made using a thicker stretch knit I bought at Mood Fabrics while I was in NYC (sadly, it’s not on the website… and probably not in the store anymore, either, since I bought like 8 yards of it and made everyone else buy some too HA HA HA). It’s almost like a thin ponte – and very very soft, with quite a bit of stretch. I LOVE this fabric!

I made the size 4, which I fit pretty squarely in, measurement-wise. If you’re looking for something a little less tight, just go up a size or two 🙂 Both of these versions are the scoop front with a high back neckline. I did make a couple with a scoop back neckline, but I’ve learned that I really don’t like the way they look on me, so I’m sticking with high back for now.

As you can see, the thicker fabric results in a smoother look.

To make my Nettie into a tshirt, I just cut the pattern piece about 1″ above the hipline (where the leotard-ness starts). I also added 1.5″ length at the waist, so the shirt would be long enough to cover my waistband. In case you were wondering why I cut length and then re-added it, well, the bottom of the pattern flares out quite a bit to accommodate hips – which I don’t need in a tshirt. So I added length at the waist instead.

And that’s it! Pretty happy with this new pattern, and while I’m not much of a bodysuit-lover, I DO love me a good tshirt! Especially when it’s super tight with a low neckline. Go ahead, judge me 😛

Ooh, I was wondering if the Nettie would make a good T-shirt. Looks like it does, because yours are super cute! Especially that mint one – it’s perfect. Guess I’ll be buying that pattern when I get a new serger. 🙂

I made the Nettie last night and love it, although unfortunately my fabric doesn’t have much vertical stretch – you should try the bodysuit. I can’t wear mine until I get some snaps sent though (so I can actually go to the bathroom).

I’m glad you were able to test the Nettie as a t-shirt. I’ve been hesitant to buy the pattern because I’ve never been a fan of bodysuits. Although the dress version did catch my eye. This t-shirt fits you like glove and both versions look amazing. How would you compare it to the Renfrew?

Same! I think my response to Heather when she originally asked me to test started out with me turning her down because I don’t like bodysuits, and by the end of the email I’d convinced myself that it would make a great tshirt and yes I’d love to test it. Haha! I’m so glad I tried it because I loooove Nettie as a tshirt (and I’d probably love it as a bodysuit, if I was a bodysuit kinda gal 🙂 Never say never!).

In comparison to the Renfrew, it’s similar in a few ways (mainly construction), but obviously the fit is completely different. Where the Renfrew has ease, this one has negative ease – so it’s super tight! Although you could definitely go up a size or two and add some ease (I’d be leery of that scoop back, though, since it needs some tightness to keep it from falling off your shoulders). While there is a neckband, the sleeves and hem are hemmed like normal (no bands like the Renfrew… although I’ve been making my Renfrews without sleeve and hem bands, so there’s that too). The main difference, other than the ease factor, is the neckline. Even the scoop neck of the Renfrew is pretty modest. The scoop neck of this shirt is much more low and sexy – plus, you’ve got that optional scoop back as well 🙂

[…] fit with my ~schedule~. Sorry! If you want to view the rest of the weeks, here they are: Me-Made May: Week 1 Me-Made-May: Week 2 Me-Made-May: Week 3 Me-Made-May: Week 4 I also have a Flickr Album of all my […]

[…] doesn’t fit with my ~schedule~. Sorry! If you want to view the rest of the weeks, here they are: Me-Made May: Week 1 Me-Made-May: Week 2 Me-Made-May: Week 3 Me-Made-May: Week 4 I also have a Flickr Album of all my […]